Masquerade Games
by J4M3Z XO
Summary: A group of friends decide to investigate a bunch of similar murders in their small town. Only when they start receiving weird tokens and messages do they realise how much danger they have put themelves in. Characters: Cena, Orton, Bourne, Cody, Ted, Eve, Alicia. AU. M/M & M/F Warnings: Character Death, Violence, Angst, Murder and Mind Games.
1. Chapter 1

_Masquerade Games_

**Summary: A group of friends decide to investigate a bunch of similar murders in their small town. Only when they start receiving weird tokens from the elusive masked serial killer responsible for these killings do they realise how much danger they have put themelves in. **

**This includes John Cena, Evan Bourne, Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase, Randy Orton, Eve Torres, Alicia Fox and Randy Orton. Not all of them are the 'main cast' because this is an edited and more creative version of my school media project, but they are all involved in some way. None of them are the killer though. *Evil Laugh***

**Please review this because, unlike my other stories, this was more planned out, I literally planned the whole first series (six episodes might translate to 10 chapters, maybe?) and then I vaguely had an idea for the second, (it was part of the pre-production). But if you do leave a review, it really would be appreciated :D**

**Warnings: M/M relationships, implied death/murder, death scenes, swearing, maybe implied rape. **

**Chapter One**

"And the young girl had the same markings as the other four victims, suggesting that we really do have a serial killer on our hands. This is Tom Spately, Pleasantville Town News..." The reporter on the news finished as John took his eyes off of the screen and stirred his cereal, suddenly he wasn't in the mood for eating.

"Turn that stuff off John, it's only going to scare you" John's mother told him as she crossed the adjoining lounge into the kitchen quadrant of the room. They were a middle class family, not too well off but not exactly in need either, and John liked the design.

John's Mom grabbed her handbag, stopping to finish off her make-up before exiting the house without a "goodbye" to her son. It was the usual treatment from his parents, unless they wanted him to do something, or to talk to him about something that concerned them. Them. It never had anything to do with or what he wanted, never.

"Johnny, are we going to school soon?" John's younger brother Matt asked as he entered the adjoining kitchen from the lounge section of the adjoining room. Matt was in 6th grade and John's parents always forgot to take any of their children to school, until John got a car in his Sophomore year, which he paid for with money he had been sving from his paper route and other jobs since he was about 12, apparently Cena's never got handed anything.

Anyway, since getting his car, John was given the duty to look after his little brother - not that he minded - but it was a problem whenever John was late because Matt always insisted on sitting in the front seat of the car, which, by law, made John have to provide a booster seat, which just wasted extra time of John's trip to school. He wasn't usually late, but when he was, it was a bother.

"Have you brushed your teeth yet? Properly?" John questioned his younger brother, purely out of brotherly affection. Matt nodded with a proud smile before grabbing his school bag and running into the lounge, then sitting down on the couch to watch cartoons. John wished his life was this simple.

Glancing down at his phone, John noted that it was 8:05, meaning that he would have to hurry up and get ready if he was to see his friends before school. His phone rang out, 'She' By Tyler, The Creator, (ironice, considering that John was gay), but John ignored it; he didn't want to have an argument with Randy right now, especially not in front of his little brother. John and Randy had been having relationship problems for a few months before John had decided to end their relationship only a few days ago. And Randy had called him frequently demanding answers ever since, despite acting all uncaring when John had dumped him.

"I'll be down in three minutes, Matty, be ready or I'll leave without you" John warned before heading upsatairs, hoping that he could avoid a confrontation with Randy today in school.

* * *

"I don't think that should be a problem 'Licia, John's picking me up in a few minutes, do you want to do the Geography project at mine or yours later?" Evan Bourne asked his best friend down the phone, John was due to pick him up in fifteen minutes but Evan was already ready, anything to impress John. Yes, he had a crush on John, despite John's on-and-off relationship with Randy, Evan had kept hope, and now John had dumped Randy, Evan could hopefully get some time alone with John and talk to him about his feelings towards the six-month older boy.

"I guess we'll find out in school" Was the reponse from Alicia Fox, Evan's best friend of many years, before she giggled like the bubbly, enthusiastic girl she was. Evan loved her as a best friend, although he disapproved of the Rihanna-looking girl's friendship with Eve Torres - a gril Evan was sure had a very bad dark side - their friendship was still as strong as ever.

"Well, that helps! Anyways, I'll leave you to it, see you in like half an hour and, if you go to Costa, grab me some coffee; for some reason Cody insists on calling me at midnight and explaining for hours how much he 'loveth hith Teddy'" Evan said, miicking his male best friend's lisp which led to a small laugh from both ends of the phone call, followed by double "goodbye"'s and then silence.

Sighing, Evan fell against the pillows on his couch as he simultaneously looked up at the ceiling, "Why can't John just see me as I see him?" Evan asked the patterns on his ceiling, silence following as if he was actually waiting for an answer. After a few minutes of silence, Evan grabbed his belogings, filling his school bag with food, his keys, his headphones and slipping his phone into his pocket before heading downstairs, the familiar sound of Odd Future's Lead man Tyler, The Creator breaking the silence of his dull and boring street. That only meant one thing: John was here!

_"Blinds wide open, so he can, see you in the dark when your sleeping, naked body fresh out the shower, you touch yourself after hours, ain't no man allowed in your bedroom, you're sleeping alone in bed, but check your window, he's at your window" _Was heard from the John's car as Evan opened his front door and slipped out, before turning back to the big door, and locking it. Evan vaguely recognised the song, although he did like the singer in the chorus, despite the creepiness of the lyrics, which usually sent a chill down his spine.

"Hey, Evan!" John shouted over the music as Evan walked up to the car, Evan didn't know the model as he wasn't good with cars, but the car was big and spacious enough for at least five of their friends to sit in and listen to random music as they talked gossip about people they hated or people they liked, discussing the reliability of the rumour even though most gossip was generated by head cheerleader and top slut, Barbie Blank. Not many people liked her, in fact, the only person Evan knew who actually spoke with the blonde was Eve, who was in the cheerleading squad, a fact that made Evan cautious of her; most of the cheerleader's were notorious bitches who could ruin anyone with gossip in minutes.

"Hey, John. Did you see the news?" Evan asked as he hopped into the passenger seat of the car, next to John and pulled his seatbelt over him. Evan was always careful about safety, as he had lost his older sister when he was about four to a car crash. Evan hardly knew her, but his parents constant persistance had been installed in him from an early age, and was now one of his habits too.

"Yeah, another girl from school. I think it was Celeste Bonin, it's a shame really, she seemed like a really nice girl" John answered with a frown, he didn't really know the girl but they had had a conversation at someone's party, and she had comforted him after Randy had left him to drown his sorrows at the party because of some stupid argument they had. "What kind of psycho goes around killing kids anyways?"

"I know man, it's totally fucked up. I mean, if it was any of us I don't think I'd be able to go on but, even with not knowing the m...the victims, it's still kind of hard to think about" Evan said in response, his eyes vacant, similar to John's, as if thinking deeply about something.

"Let's not think about it. If school can still go on, then so shall we!" John exclaimed dramatically, holding his arm up with a balled fist, like some sort of motivatd superhero or something. Whatever he was doing, it made Evan laugh and brought back the relaxed, comfortable atmosphere between the two friends. Well, that was how John saw it...

* * *

There was already an air of mourning as they arrived at their school. There were a few girls crying, most likely Celeste's friends, and the people who weren't crying were looking pretty sorrowful. The depressing thing about this was that they were only in the parking area of the school, the parking spaces reserved for students with cars. John and Evan were both surprised that Celeste's friends' parents had let their children come into school today, considering that they had just lost a close friend, but the news report had only been aired this morning, so nobody had the time to cancel their plans for the day.

"Oh, man, AJ must be feeling awful right now: Celeste dying and Daniel dumping her. I hope someone is there for her" Evan said, looking through John's windscreen at the crying and distraught AJ, who was being comforted by a couple of friends, but not Daniel Bryan. It made John pretty angry at Bryan but he guessed it would be kind of awkward between AJ and him.

"If we don't see Daniel with her this week, then we're going to kill him ourselves, and then comfort her" John said through gritted teeth before yanking his car key from the ignition hole and grabbing his bag, Evan doing the same before they exited the car and John locked the car. They walked over to the crying group of teens and said a meaningful "sorrow for your loss" type speech, gaining beyond-sad nods and thank-you's from Celeste's friends before they made their way over to where their group of friends usually met.

"Hey guys!" Alicia Fox greeted them with a small smile, indicating that she too had heard the news because she was usually all smiles and super-happy, no matter the day or situation. Evan walked over to her and they shared a hug before all three of them sat down on the bench Alicia had been sitting on alone. John smiled at her; he wasn't as good friends with the usually bubbly girl but he still thought of her as a friend.

"I can't believe another person at school has died!" Alicia said with a frown, John and Evan doing the same as they thought about it. John's face grew slightly more pale when he remembered that the news had mentioned evidence of a serial killer, and that they hadn't mentioned any leads, which could only mean that there was a serial killer out there, possibly waiting for his next victim.

"Guys..." John said, making sure he had his two friend's attention before continuing. "Look, this might sound crazy, but please don't walk home or anywhere alone until this killer is arrested". John lookd at the shocked faces of his two friends, but soon their faces changed to show they had the same concern for each other.

"I had the same thought. Having someone we know die is awful, but having one of us die would be hell" Evan said with an earnest edge to his voice. Alicia and John nodded before silence took over.

They were silent for a few minutes, trapped in their thoughts, before Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase walked over, both looking pretty sad, most likely about Celeste's death.

"I'm guessing you guys heard as well" Ted said when he and his boyfriend reached the rest of the group, his arm around Cody's waist protectively as he looked around him, as if the killer could attack at any moment.

"I can't believe anyone would do this!" Cody said, visibly shaking and close to tears; he and Celeste had had a few lessons together in freshman year, and had gone on to be quite good friends. To add to this, one of the flaws Cody had was that he bottled up his emotions a lot, which would only lead to extremities in a situation like this.

"Calm down, baby" Ted whispered into Cody's ear, moving to wrap his arms around his boyfriend in an attempt to try to comfort him. Cody leant his head into Ted's shoulder as he blinked back the tears that threatened to leak from his eyes.

"Has anybody seen Randy today?" Cody asked, barely heard by the others as it was muffled by Ted's shoulder. But the others heard "Randy" and could only assume that Cody had asked of the other man's whereabouts.

"Nope...but don't worry, Codes, it's only the start of the day, he'll be here soon" Evan said, seeing as John didn't want to talk and Ted saying this wouldn't give Cody much reassurance. As if on cue, the form of Randy - at least what the other kids could see from the other side of the sports field - appeared on the other side of the field, heading towards them, slowly.

"Speak of the devil" John muttered, earning a glare from Ted, who was much closer to Randy and Cody than anybody else, even his parents.

"Hey" Randy said, no hint of any emotion in his voice. Ted nodded as nobody else said anything, John just looked to the right, not wanting to talk to Randy at all.

"Well, since nobody wants to say anything, I'll say what I'm thinking: We should investigate these killings" Randy said. Everybody else stared at him like he was crazy, whilst silently thinking that he was onto something. "Come on, you know I'm right" Randy added.

John huffed and stood up, standing on the right of the group as Randy stood on the left. "And why should we put our lives in such danger, Randy?"

Without blinking or moving, Randy said, "Because it's survival of the fittest; if we don't end this, he will end us" Randy said, gaining a sideways glance from everybody, but as they thought that the young Orton was crazy, they also thought that what he was saying might be true. Whichever way they looked at it, Randy was onto something.

"Okay then. Where shall we start this 'investigation'?" John questioned again, wanting to get to Randy's motive behind all of this, little did he know that Randy had no ulterior motive at all, he was simply wanting to get ahead of the killer so that none of the people he was close to would get hurt, or worse: killed.

"I'd say the forest" Randy said, a knowing seriousness glinting in his eyes as John eyed his ex-boyfriend up, trying to determine whether Randy had finally lost it. To make sure everyone knew where he meant, Randy pointed to the trees, behind the group and the sports field, the trees that stretched beyond their vision, the forest that had an air of curiosity and fear around it, the perfect place for a murder.

"And why should we do that, Randy?" John asked again, afraid of what Randy would say next.

"Haven't you guys heard? They say Celeste Bonin died there..."


	2. Chapter 2

_Masquerade Games_

**A/N:**

**Summary: A group of friends decide to investigate a bunch of similar murders in their small town. Only when they start receiving weird tokens from the elusive masked serial killer responsible for these killings do they realise how much danger they have put themelves in. **

**This includes John Cena, Evan Bourne, Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase, Randy Orton, Eve Torres, Alicia Fox and Randy Orton. Not all of them are the 'main cast' because this is an edited and more creative version of my school media project, but they are all involved in some way. None of them are the killer though. *Evil Laugh***

**So, I really appreciate the reviews people have given and the music has a purpose, there's a reason I chose Odd Future music as John's music, and I hope you guys work it out after a few chapters. Anyways, please keep the reviews coming, it would make me happy because I really enjoy writing this story :D**

**Chapter Two**

"You mean t-they found her...here?" Cody asked, his eyes wide with fear and puffy from silently crying into Ted's shoulder. Ted's grip around Cody became visibly tighter as they all turned to look at the creepy forest which seemed overcast in the way that no sun seemed to penetrate the 'ceiling' of tree leaves.

"We aren't going in there" Ted stated loudly and boldly, making it clear that he'd rather they didn't give themselves in to danger.

"We have no choice Ted. I mean, Randy's right: we can't just sit and wait like prey, we have to get ahead of this psycho so that we survive" John said, none of them turning away from the creepy forest. It was indeed the perfect place for a murder, even in the daytime.

John visibly shivered at the thought, which drew everyone else out of their trance. They all turned back to Ted and Cody, who stood in front of the rest of the group because John and Randy had both moved foward in their trance-like state.

"It makes sense, Ted; if we just wait for this to be over, any of us could be the next victim, or the last victim...it doesn't matter, this guy is a serial killer, and he's made it clear that he isn't done yet" Evan said to Ted, his eyes scared and darting around. They all seemed to be stuck in their own world's, and yet they were all listening to each other.

"I just don't want to walk right into a trap and lose one of you" Ted said vacantly, his eyes looking directly at the opening that was just there, almost invitng them in. It all seemed too set-up for Ted, it was too close to them and too quiet for his liking, but then it would provide some answers, something deep inside told Ted that.

Nobody seemed able to not look at the forest every two seconds, making it obvious that they should go into the forest, no matter how dangerous and revealing it was promising. The clouds even seemed to be inviting them in, with the sun shining above the ceiling of trees far off in the distance.

"It's not like any of us want to sit through the depressing memorial service they're going to provide for Celeste" Randy said, as if prodding them towards the forest. The weird thing about that was how much they seemed to agree with the young Orton's words, which ended up with all six of them standing up and ready to go.

"Okay, if we're gonna do this, we're gonna need some sort of weapon, does anyone have anything?" Evan asked, his cautiousness telling him that they might need protection. This seemed to only scare the teens more as this denoted that the killer was going to be in the forest.

"I might have a few tools in my car that we can use as weapons" Randy said, playing Mr. Creepy and Mysterious again. If the group didn't know him so well they'd most likely think he was the killer.

Eventually the group were lead, by Randy, to the car. It was smaller and less clean than John's car, but having a car was all that mattered for the teens, well, before all this. As they opened the car's door they heard the familiar voice of Eve Torres on her phone. Evan cursed inwardly before all but Randy and Ted (who were going through Randy's car's trunk searching for his tool box and anything they could use as a weapon), turned to greet the Latino girl.

"Hey, Eve!" Alicia said with a relieved smile; nobody had said when the victims of the killer were actually murdered, so, as far as Alicia was concerned, if someone was missing, they were as good as dead.

"Hey 'Lich!" Eve said back, before taking in the sad and frightened looks of the other students. "Oh no, not another one!".

"Yeah, Celeste Bonin" Cody muttered, visibly shaking and turning to look in a different direction every few seconds. Evan placed a reassuring hand on Cody's shoulder, momentarilty stopping the other teen from shaking before Cody started shaking again.

"Oh, man. Are you guys not going to the memorial service the school will, most likely, be holding?" Eve asked, a small smile on her face despite the disturbing situation they were all in.

"No. We decided it was better to head into the forest to learn how to be serial killers. Crazy, right?" Ted said sarcastically, emerging from behind the car and nodding at Eve as he put an arm around Cody, his grip tight as usual.

"Maybe not, if you're thinking what I'm thinking" Eve said, catching the eyes of every other teen in turn before explaining what she meant. "I mean, we can either get ahead of this freak, or we can sit around like sheep to a fox and wait until we die". Evan didn't know if it was genius or stupidity in what Eve said, but he sort-of agreed with it.

"Exactly, at last somebody agrees. So, you coming Torres?" Randy asked, actinglike he wasn't bothered about anything a typical Randy flirting mechanism, which angered John because they'd only broken up a few days ago, and Randy was acting like nothing had ever happened between them. Randy had a very narrow mind when it came to relationships, but when he was with John just them he was a different guy. John just thought that Randy was determined to prove his straight side of his bi-sexuality by acting like a jerk.

"I really don't want to go to the service, Lord knows how depressing that will be, but the forest looks totally dangerous, I mean, what if the guy finds us?" Eve asked, her eyes betraying the fear she was trying to hold back, nobody blamed her for being scared, but Evan always said that she was _"all about appearances"._

"Well, we all agreed it was better if we got ahead in the game" Randy said, despite Ted still shaking his head at the whole idea. But even Ted had to admit that, while it might not be the smartest idea, it was the only idea they had.

* * *

After a good while they were in the forest, they'd decided to use John and Randy's cars to help them cover more ground, which was a good idea because they had to drive for almost twenty minutes before they came to an opening.

This opening turned to be set up for a murder with it's two dilapitated caravans and a blackened circle, set by rocks, which must have once been a fire of some sort. It was like the setting of Jason but a bit more creepy, because this was real. In between the two caravans was what looked like a trail, it lead further into the forest but, from the way they could see a clear path about a mile into the trees, it seemed to go on forever.

"Guys...this is beyond creepy" Evan said, his voice quiet nad his stare fixed on the dirty windows of the caravans. This was indifferent to everyone else, as they all were either looking at the caravans, down the trail, or around them in case somebody was watching.

"We are not going in there" Ted said, his legs tensing as he pulled Cody to him now his typical defense mechanism. Cody fell into the tight embrace but looked over Ted's shoulder a few seconds later.

"Look, we can either pussy out of this and not get ahead of a serial killer_ or_, we can get ahead of him and, potentially, survive his killing spree" Randy said, trying to convince the others to follow his lead as he moved slowly towards the caravans. The rest of the group stood still, apart from Eve, who felt out of place in the group; she only knew Alicia, and Randy seemed to have the most positive attitude towards the whole situation. So, as she admired Randy's bravery, Eve followed him before linking her left arm in his right arm.

John scoffed loudly before turning and walking back to his car. Seeing this, Evan and Alicia walked behind John, hoping to comfort their friend. By the time John had reached the car, Randy had reached the caravans, leaving Cody and Ted in the middle of the two sides, thinking up the pros and cons of each side.

Ted started walking towards Randy, only to realise that Cody's hand was not in his, and that Cody was standing still when Ted turned to face him.

"Baby boy, ain't ya comin'?" Ted asked, holding his hand out for his boyfriend to take, hopeful that Cody would stay with him; Ted wouldn't be able to function if anything happened to Cody.

Cody shook his head as an answer before explaining. "We shouldn't be going into the set of a horror film, Teddy, it looks dangerous. And...Randy's being a dick to John; he's clearly flirting with Eve to make John jealous". And, as if to punctuate his point, Cody turned, on his heel, and walked in the direction that John, Evan and Alicia had gone in.

Ted just stood there, feeling guilty for some reason, before turning to see Randy beckon him over to the caravans, and jogging over to his best friend and Eve.

* * *

"Why does he have to be so heartless?" John shouted, punching his car and then cursing as a burst of pain shot through his arm. He had tears leaking from his eyes, more from rage than anything, but his lashing-out meant that Evan and Alicia couldn't comfort him.

"John - calm down, please?" Evan begged; it hurt him to see John so worked up, especially over Randy. John turned to look at Evan and Alicia, resting against the side of his car, before sliding down to the floor, his head in his hands.

Evan slowly sat down next to John and put a comforting arm around the bigger teen, saddened that John still had feelings for Randy.

"It's just: he knows I have feelings for him, and he's obviosuly trying to make me jealous!" John cried, people had always said that John had cared a little too much, but it was obvious that his feelings for Randy and the stress of this whole situation was getting to him.

At that moment Cody walked up, looking slightly angry and still very scared, but not shaking anymore, which gave relief to the people around him. "I'm sorry about Randy, John, he's being a totaly ass hole" Cody said, his eyes meeting John's for a split-second - time enough for John to see the sincerity in Cody's eyes before John looked down at the ground again.

"On top of this whole situation, I can't handle being around him, especially if he's going to flirt with Eve right in front of my face" John said, feeling the need to explain his feelings, even if he didn't fully understand them. Evan looked at him, feeling the hope of a relationship with John fading again before deciding that he had to ask John something, something definite.

"John, do you still have feelings for him?" Evan asked, looking at John's face for a moment before turning away, he really didn't want the answer he expected John to answer his question with. His eyes caught Alicia's for a second, and she gave him a sympathetic look before he turned to look at a small gap inthe trees.

"I don't know. It's like, I really didn't like the direction our relationship was going, so I finished it. But now that I see him with someone else, I want him back. I guess I still have feelings for him" John explained, ending his answer with a loud sigh before hitting his head backwards against his car in frustration.

"Let's just sit around the fire and relax for a while" Alicia suggested, also feeling stressed by the whole 'serial killer' situation. It may not have sounded as she'd thought it would but she just wanted John and Evan to be happy, and for Cody to stop being so paranoid.

"Yeah, that way we can keep an eye on Teddy, Randy and Eve" Cody said, nodding his head in agreement. He offered John a hand up whilst Alicia offered hers to Evan before they began the short walk to the burnt out ring of fire.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ted, Randy and Eve had made their way through one caravan, which had had no incriminating evidence inside and they were now about to go through the second one.

"Is anybody else...disappointed with that caravan?" Randy asked the other two as he opened the unlocked back door of the other caravan. They were suddenly hit with the sickening smell of rotting flesh, which only confirmed all the silent fears that had been plaguing their brains since the killing spree began.

"Jesus, that. is. so. disgusting!" Eve exclaimed, backing away from the caravan to the point that the back of her foot snagged on a twig and she was soon faling backwards, letting out a surprised yell before landing on the grass.

Upon hearing the yell from Eve, the rest of the group, (Evan, John, Alicia and Cody), ran over, thinking someone had been attacked or found a dead body. They turned the corner of the caravan - John in the lead - to see Randy helping Eve up with both hands and pulling her to him. John scoffed, before visibly jumping back from where Eve had been sitting. "Oh. My. God!" He exclaimed, pointing at the ground below Eve.

"What are you talking abou- HOLY SHIT!" Ted said, screaming as he saw what appeared to be the remains of some sort of victim on the ground, the flesh and blood surrounding the bones - that were actually on the back of Eve's top - making Ted Junior throw up as he turned the corner of the caravan, hand holding his body up as his stomach contents were emptied in the worst of ways.

As this was happening, the rest of the group turned to the ground, feeling vomit surge up their throats, their eyes widening as they looked at the remains. They all turned and ran, everyone accept Eve, who took a split-second longer to notice that the mush of blood and flesh was soaking into her shirt. "Ewwwwwww!" The Latino girl shrieked before follwoing the rest of the group in their sprint to the car.

Eve took her top off, thanking the Lord that she was wearing a bra before throwing the item of clothing on the ground and getting into Randy's car's passenger seat before the car reversed and sped off, John's car - with John, Evan, Ted, Cody and Alicia all inside - soon following as they all fought the urge to cry, go to the police, and, ultimately, throw up.

* * *

The killer watched as the group of teens escaped his clutches in their cars, chuckling to himself as he knew that those remains were only the remains of a deer he'd killed and, after killing it, cooked it, then eaten it. That had been last night, he had fed the girl that was now all over the news, found dead in the forest, before he had killed her.

Throwing his bag of her clothes and other belongings on the floor, the killer dropped the firewood he had gone off in search for, before dropping it to the ground. He poured some petrol on it before lighting a match and tossing the small, fiery twig at the firewood, it caught fire instantly, and the killer tossed the bag onto it before walking in the direction of the shirt on the floor, the shirt the annoying, loud girl had thrown on the floor before she had joined the others in the car.

As if he had hit the jackpot, the label of the shirt had the girl's name on it, as well as her address. He had literally been fed another victim by an over-worrying mother. _'How ironic would it be that her over-protectiveness would get her daughter killed?' _thought the man before he walked back to the small fire he had lit next to the caravan.

"Looks like I've found victim number five" The killer said, cackling at the thought before grabbing a jacket and his keys.

This was going to be a good night.


	3. Chapter 3

_Masquerade Games_

**A/N:**

**Summary: A group of friends decide to investigate a bunch of similar murders in their small town. Only when they start receiving weird tokens from the elusive masked serial killer responsible for these killings do they realise how much danger they have put themelves in. **

**This includes John Cena, Evan Bourne, Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase, Randy Orton, Eve Torres, Alicia Fox and Randy Orton. Not all of them are the 'main cast' because this is an edited and more creative version of my school media project, but they are all involved in some way. None of them are the killer though. *Evil Laugh***

_Italics are music lyrics and at the end a flashback. _

**So, I really appreciate the reviews people have given and the music has a purpose, there's a reason I chose Odd Future music as John's music, and I hope you guys work it out after a few chapters. Anyways, please keep the reviews coming, it would make me happy because I really enjoy writing this story :D**

**Chapter Three**

"What the fuck man?" Ted shouted, clearly freaking out, they all were. Seeing those bones basically skinned had made it clear how much danger they were actually in.

"Look, everyone just calm the fuck down; the killer did not see us, we are safe!" John shouted, never taking his eyes off of the off-road path they were travelling on. Randy's car was behind them, only Randy and Eve inside it, a fact that made John both jealous and angry.

Evan looked at John with a depressed expression on his face; John clearly still had feelings for Randy, which meant that he didn't have a chance with him. Evan felt a hand touch his shoulder and turned to see Alicia who had a sympathetic smile on her face. Evan gave a small smile back, telling Alicia that he was 'okay' even if he was a bit sad about it.

"Seriously, what the fuck, what if he comes looking for one of us?" Ted shouted again, clearly the most freaked out of the group, or just the one who couldn't conceal his feelings. Then again, Ted had worn his heart on his sleeve since the beginning of his relationship with Cody; before they went out, Ted was much more popular than he was now, he was the most popular jock in school. But also in the closet, with feelings for the already out Cody Rhodes. After some convincing from John, Randy and Evan, the two finally admitted their feelings to each other and the school and have been inseperable since.

"Calm down, Ted; nobody was there" Evan said, his voice betraying some fear but overall pretty calm for a person in this situation. John smiled at Evan's calmness, it had always reassured him that everything was going to be okay.

Ted stayed quiet after that - mostly because of Cody cuddling him - and the two-car convoy were soon on there way out of the forest.

* * *

When they were back in the car park, the group decided to sit out in the light breeze and discuss how they would deal with the situation. For some, Eve and Randy, the discussion was of no interest what so ever, even if they were scared, they'd never admit it. However, for the rest of the groupthe discussion was a good thing because they knew that they couldn't be alone in the evening with the recent murders.

"If anyone sees or hears anything suspiscious, they should tell everyone else, or anyone who will listen" John said, the supposed 'leader' of the group, despite the fact that the group rejected reputation or status. Everyone except Eve and Randy nodded in agreement which angered John becaue they weren't taking this whole situation seriously, and that could cost them their lives.

"Look, I really cannot deal with school today, so if anyone wants to go home right now then I'll give you a lift" John offered, too angry at Randy and stressed out by the murders for school. Evan and Alicia each looked at him and he nodded, already knowing that they couldn't deal with school either. However, John knew that Randy would follow up with something macho to act like he wasn't scared, which he did.

"It's okay John, I'm gonna go pump some iron at the school gym for a bit, but I'll see you later" Randy said, nodding at the rest of them without meeting their eyes, until he got to Eve, and the two shared a look for a brief moment before Orton walked off into the school.

"We're sorry for Randy guys, but he's our ride home, so we'll see you guys tomorrow" Cody said, hugging Evan and sending a look to John before he and Ted walked off in search of Randy.

"So, do you guys all need rides home?" John asked, looking at Alicia, Eve and Evan who all nodded.

"Well, I can get one off of Kelly like I did earlier..." Eve trailed off, suggesting to the others that she'd rather not get a ride home from the school's head cheerleader, which was understandable.

"Nonsense Eve, your house is on the way to mine, hop in guys" John said, waving Eve off to tell her that it was no problem. It really wasn't a problem for John as the young Torres' house was only two blocks from John's, which the group had learned when they had been invited to a big birthday bash at Eve's house a few summer's ago. It hadn't made the best impression of Eve to the others, as she had been clearly seen cheating on Zack Ryder with John Morisson at the party, as well as being turned down by both John and Ted in the same day. Whatever happened at the party, even Evan had to admit it was a fun day, and Eve could be a nice girl sometimes, as she had made them all feel welcome.

"Aww, thank-you John" Eve said with a smile, before they all got into John's car. Evan sat in the passenger seat with John whilst Eve and Alicia belted up in the back. "Everybody got their belts on?" John asked, hearing a chorus of 'Yes John!"'s in response from his three friends.

"Ooh, ooh, Evan put that CD in!" John said excitedly, no doubt some more rap music that they could all either get into or be creeped out by.

"John, what's this?" Alicia asked, the question also plastered on Evan and Eve's faces too. They found the beat to be catchy and familiar but were kind of weirded out by the words _"Threesomes with a fucking triceratops" _were clearly heard coming from the rapper's mouth.

"You guys are idiots. Tyler's like the funniest creep on the planet" John said, humming along to the beat. The other three shook their heads as the voice of Tyler, The Creator muttered obscenities through John's radio speakers.

* * *

Around twenty minutes later the group had arrived at John's house and the four of them had chilled out on the couches, watching movies, eating, drinking and chatting away the day until it was 6 pm. Eve had come out of her shell around them and was now joining in on the jokes and conversation topics.

"Wow! It's six already?" Evan said, slightly shocked that the day had gone by so quickly. Alicia and Evan shared a glance before getting up and stretching.

"We have to go guys, but we'll see you tomorrow. See ya!" Evan said, waving at the other two before he and Alicia quickly left John's house. Eve and John both looked at the two walking off through the window quizzically before looking at each other and laughing.

"Thanks for today John, I needed it with all the _stuff_ that's going on" Eve said, a small mile on her face, despite the fact that nobody would have to question what the 'stuff' meant. John smiled back at her before getting up himself.

"I know, it's nice that we can all chill out and not focus on them. But my parents get home at seven and if I don't look like I've done any homework then I'll be in trouble..." John said, trailing off, it wasn't that he didn't enjoy Eve's company - he did - it was just that his parents would be angry if they knew he'd had people around without asking permission. With a small smile to Eve, John took the three plates the group had used and began to wash them in the kitchen.

"Oh, that's okay, I understand - my parents can be pretty strict too. Guess I'll walk then" Eve said, her smile falling a little and a small sigh escaping her as she looked out at the darkening sky; she really didn't want to have to walk home.

"I'll walk you if you want?" John offered, smiling at her as he emerged from washing the last of the plates in the kitchen; they weren't really that messy at all. John grabbed his keys and a coat before offering Eve his arm and opening the front door. Eve took John's arm as soon as John had locked the door and the two began the walk to Eve's house in the dark.

A few minuts later, the two struck up conversation again, both feeling safe and relaxed around the other, despite the fact that there was no sexual interest in the air.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what's with you and Randy?" Eve asked, a polite smile on her face as John turned to look at her.

John's eyes darted downward before he looked back up with a sad smile. "Let's just say me and Randy are two different people. And I'd advise you not to get involved with him if I were you" he answered.

Eve's face took on a look of shock as she examined what John was saying. "You think I'm interested in Randy?" She asked, completely unaware that there was anything between her and Randy.

"Well, I thought it ws obvious. You were both pretty flirty" John added, a confused look on his face; maybe it was just Randy who was flirting with Eve and not the other way around.

"Were we? Oh. I'm sorry John, I wasn't meaning to if I was" Eve apologised, a frown on her face as she thought that she'd upset John.

"It's fine, honestly. I'm just not..._over_ Randy yet" John muttered, shaking his head with a smile to signify that he wasn't angry at Eve.

"I'll set him straight tomorrow" Eve said, earning a smile from John as the two walked on, looking up at the sky as the first few stars were emerging from under the cloak of the sky. John looked over and saw that Eve was shivering slightly and decided to give her his jacket.

"Here" John said, breaking apart from the latino before she accepted it gratefully. As soon as John's jacket was wrapped around Eve, the two fell back into their comfortable embrace. If anybody saw them they would think the two were a couple.

After ten minutes or so more, the two arrived at the Torres household, Eve smiled at John as they stood in the porch. Her parents were out and, if John didn't have to get back to his, Eve would have invited him in.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then Eve, stay safe, okay?" John said, smiling at her as she opened the front door.

"See you tomorrow John, I hope your parents aren't bad when you get home!" Eve called, turning to John once more with a smile before closing the door behind her. John smiled at the house before turning and walking away.

Before walking away, John turned to look up to the left window on the second floor, thinking Eve might be looking out at him, only to be disappointed when he didn't see anything. _"Wait...was that a face?" _John asked himself as his eyes caught a slight movement in the window, it had looked like a white face, spreading out like a forehead at the top but shrinking to a long, pointy chin at the bottom. Shaking his head, John turned away from the house and walked off, thinking that his mind must be playing tricks on him.

John sighed as he began the long walk home, he was scared of being in this dark and wanted to get home as fast as he could so, without looking back, John walked off into the night.

* * *

The killer watched as John Cena walked off into the dark of the night, he'd almost been caught by John, and knew he'd need to be more sly if he wasn't going to get caught. Hearing music sound a few doors down, the killer listened intently as Eve stepped into the shower.

The killer knew he'd enjoy this a lot as the girl was completely unaware of his presence, and creeping up on her would most likely freeze her to the spot long enough for him to grab her, and that would be the end of Eve Torres. The killer choked out a hushed laugh as he laid in wait for Eve to get out of her bathroom.

* * *

After walking home, John Cena had gone on to do some basic Maths, taken a quick shower before grabbing a book, turning up his music, and falling into a relaxed state of mind as he read.

_"The blinds wide open, _

_So he can see you in the dark when you're sleeping. _

_Naked body fresh out the shower, _

_When you touch yourself after hours. _

_Ain't no man allowed in your bedroom, _

_Your sleeping alone in your bed, _

_Check your window, _

_He's at your window" _

John sang along, obviously no match for Frank Ocean's notes, but this was a favoured song of his and had a very relaxing feel to it, in comparison to Tyler's other songs.

John read a few pages of his book as the song played, but was then interrupted by his phone going off, the same song playing as his ring tone. It was Evan, callig for their daily phone conversation.

"Hey John!" Evan called down the phone, sounding bubbly as usual. John smiled at the thought of Evan's smile, it always made him feel better, no matter the situation.

"Hey Evan. Alicia gone home then?" John asked, trying to make casual conversation. The two soon fell into conversation, Evan leading with what he and Alicia had done after they had left John's house. Eventually, Evan stopped talking - although the two were both laughing about Alicia spilling a milkshake on somebody in McDonald's - and Evan asked John something.

"Anyway, did Eve get home okay, she was cool today? No murder or anything?" Evan asked, trying to be humorous but just freaking Joh out a bit.

"Don't say stuff like that man, that just isn't funny. She was comfortable with us today. And guess what-"

_BOOM!_

John began only to be interrupted a flash of lightning. John jumped back as it struck light across his back garden, which his room had th epleasure of looking out into. But not now. Right now, John was freaked: he had seen the white mask form earlier in his garden, running off into the night.

"John? You okay? John!" John heard Evan shout down the phone, but he wasn't listening. Instad, rather stupidly, John was walking towards the small balcony door, checking for anything that proved the masked person had been near his room.

_"You're sleeping alone in your bedroom._

_Check your window,_

_He's at your window"_

Frank Ocean added, making John shudder at the thought. Flicking the garden lights on, John looked around, it was absolutely pouring with rain, but John made out something shiny and white and bent down to pick it up. It was a mask. An exact replica of the mask he'd seen twice tonight. Jumpiing awya from the mask, John watched as a small peice of paper fell from the mask as it hit the wall.

"What the fuck?" John asked himself, the song still playing and Evan still shouting for him down the phone. John approached the peice of paper as cautiously as he had the balcony and slowly bent down to pick it up. John almost screamed when he read the words on the paper.

_I'm at her window. _

John's eyes poppedout of his skull, shocking him to a standstill for a second before he rushed over to the phone. "Evan! Evan, shut up! Look, I can't explain what happened, just get to Eve's house right now, text everyone, I think something bad is going to happen!" John shouted down the phone, hanging up before Evan could respond and racing down the stairs.

"Where are you going at this hour, Jonathan?" His mother asked with her usual smugness. John ignored her, grabbed his keys and slipped his shoes on before running out of the house.

* * *

_"The blinds wide open, _

_So he can see you in the dark when you're sleeping, _

_Naked body fresh out the shower, _

_When you touch yourself after hours. _

_No man allowed in your bedroom, _

_You're sleeping alone in your bed. _

_Check yor window, _

_He's at your window". _

_Eve Torres sang along as she stepped out of her ensuite bathroom, wrapped only in a towel, her hair not yet dried. Eve hummed along to the song for a while before hearing a small thunder clap. _

_"Wow, that's scary!" Eve said as it had made her jump. Eve got up and closed her bathroom door, leaning down to look at herself when she caught sight of a movement in the mirror behind her. Turning around, Eve saw nothing. _

_"Jesus, Torres, keep it together!" Eve said to herself, slightly creeped out. In the background the song changed, Eve let out a shaky breath before grabbing her hairbrush and bringing it up to her head. _

_"Jesus won't save you here" A voice said behind her. Eve turned on her heel, feeling sometihng deep in the dark depths of fear creep up inside her. _

_"What the fuck? Who are you?" Eve shouted, jumping as her eyes landed on a masked figure. Eve couldn't tell what was more scary about the person, the fact that he seemed to tower over her, or the fact that the mask he was wearing was beyond creepy. _

_"The last face you're going to see" The figure said, mouth moving under the mask as it didn't cover all of the person's face. He stepped towards her, Eve screaming as she realised she was trapped between the killer and her bathroom. _

_"No, please! D-don't, p-please!" Eve begged, shrinking into the door as the man closed in on her. Without thinking it through, Eve turned, pulling the bathroom door with all her might as she fell into her bathtub, which still had water in it. _

_Unfortunately for Eve, the man stuck his foot between the door and the door frame, blocking her only hope of survival and leaving her with no way out or awya from this deranged psycho. _

_"NOOO!" Eve screamed as she felt her head being grabbed, and soon her face being pushed under the dirty bath water. She was puuled up, only to see the dranged man laughing at her flailing attempts to get out of the situation. _

_"Not so nice is it, Torres?" The man asked, cackling at her as she sucked in as much air as her lungs would allow. _

_"Who...Who are you?" Eve asked, her lungs burning as they took in the oxygen. Her precious last breaths, and she knew it. _

_"I'm your worst nightmare" The killer said, before pushing her head under the water again. Eve heard the base of the son gplaying in the background as she thrashed about under the water, her legs kicking about to try and get the killer off of her. _

_The killer laughed as he heard her muffled screams under the water. After a minute or so of Eve's flailing legs, the girl either gave up or was knocked out form the lack of oxygen. The man looked down mercilessly as blood began to colour the water a rose red colour, Torres' body now limp in his arms. _

_Lifting the girl's head out of the water, the killer placed a kiss on her lips before dropping the head back in the water, cackling madly as he walked off, Eve Torres now disposed of. _

_"I told her I'm her worse nightmare, _

_This is hell, we don't ever have to fight fair, _

_My spirit floats around in the night air, _

_Or in your day dreams, that's how death seems" The music speakers blared out as the man exited the room, his quest for the night finished, and knowing that the body would be found very soon..._


	4. Chapter 4

_Masquerade Games_

**A/N:**

**Summary: A group of friends decide to investigate a bunch of similar murders in their small town. Only when they start receiving weird tokens and messages from the elusive masked serial killer responsible for these killings do they realise how much danger they have put themelves in. **

**This includes John Cena, Evan Bourne, Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase, Randy Orton, Eve Torres, Alicia Fox and Randy Orton. Not all of them are the 'main cast' because this is an edited and more creative version of my school media project, but they are all involved in some way. None of them are the killer though. *Evil Laugh* There's no church in the wild mothafuckas. **

_Italics are song lyrics and flashbacks. Maybe even dreams, not sure yet. _

******So, I really appreciate the reviews people have given and the music has a purpose, there's a reason I chose Odd Future music as John's music, and I hope you guys work it out after a few chapters. Anyways, please keep the reviews coming, it would make me happy because I really enjoy writing this story :D**

******Chaoter Four**

John Cena pulled up at the Torres' household, only to see a single light on in the house. It was obviously Eve's room. And there was no movement from inside the house that John could see, which made him think that the killer was waiting for him, hidden in the shadows and just waiting to pounce.

John visibly flinched when 'Yonkers' rang out from his phone. It was his ring tone, but who was calling him?

"John? John it's Evan. Look, Alicia and Cody are here, we're on our way. Is she...is she there, John?" John looked up at Eve's window as Evan was speaking down the phone, there was something really...off about the lack of movement. No shadows were passing by the window, in fact, the only sign that anybody had been there was the music blasting from the speakers in Eve's room. John didn't even know that it was Eve's room, it just seemed so obvious that it was.

"Evan, I'm going to go in and look for her, I know it's not the best idea I've ever had, but if there's any chance that we can save her then we have to try. You guys will probably see me up there when you get here, so just come on in. And be careful; the killer might still be lurking around somewhere" John told Evan down the phone and, as he finished, clicked the end call button, not bothering to worry himself with Evan's objections to this most likely deadly task.

"Come on, Cena, you can do this" John whispered to himself, his eyes closed as he searched inside his head for some source of bravery...

Opening his eyes, John felt some obligation to help Eve. Sure, they weren't the best of friends, but earlier Eve had really opened up and relaxed with John, showing him a side that he had not thought to look for in her. To him - before today - Eve was just your typical cheerleader but, after today, John knew that there was so much more to her than that.

Taking a deep breath, John walked towards Eve's door.

"Here we go" John said under his breath, feeling like he was walking into some kind of trap.

Placing a hand on the door knob, John was surprised that the front door was locked.

Looking around, John saw no signs of a break-in. Was it all a prank? No, something sinister was going on here, John could feel it in his bones. The killer had been here, and John could no longer lie to himself - the killer had taken Eve's life.

John shuddered as he heard the start of the first verse of 'Yonkers' play from Eve's room. It was calling out to him, this killer was just trying to fuck with his head, and it was working.

"What the fuck does he want?" John shouted, walking back to his car. John leant on his bonnet, knowing that his friends would soon arrive and be as confused about this as he was.

Sighing, John sat up on his car's bonnet. "What the?" John said as he saw some glass shining off of a light that must be on around the back of the house. Jumping off of his car, John raced towards the glass.

John skidded to a halt before the glass on the floor and, slowly, looked up to see an obvious sign of a break-in: there was a hole, possibly made by a rock or something, just big enough for John to slide his hand through and open the door from the outside and, in the process, make the worst decision of his short life.

* * *

"Where is he?" Evan Bourne asked as Cody's car pulled up at Eve's house. He had been panicking ever since John had hung up on him, telling Evan that he was entering the house that probably still had a killer lurking in the shadows.

Looking around, none of the trio saw any sign of their friend, only his car, and the light inside Eve's room suggested that he was actually there.

"Evan, calm down. It's John; he always knows what he's doing" Cody pointed out, grabbing Evan's right hand and Alicia's left as they crept up to the eerily silent house. This had been the plan that they had come up with, they would hold hands so that they couldn't get seperated or lost. It didn't help the situation that much, but it didn't feel as scary entering a creepy, dark, silent household when they were with two others.

"Guys, look!" Cody hissed, pointing towards the open smashed glass door that clearly led into the house. The trio of friends looked at each other, each one equally as creeped out as the next as they thought up the implications the door had.

"It's obviously a break-in...but, if John's in there, then we have to go in and see if he's okay" Evan said, the others nodding in agreement, despite the reluctance they felt towards entering the potentially dangerous house.

"Okay" Alicia said, releasing a shaky breath. "If anyone sees, hears or feels anything other than each other, yell. But, most importantly, we need to stick together". Evan and Cody nodded as Alicia, being at the front, led them into the creepy house.

* * *

_"Eve?" John called as he walked through the house, his eyes close to tears with fear and anxiety. John knew that Eve was most likely dead, but, if there was any chance she could survive, John had to search for her._

_Grabbing a knife from the walk-in kitchen, John crept slowly towards and up the stairs._

_Upon reaching the landing, John saw an illuminated doorway about three doors down from where he was. Eve had a spiral staircase, which had confused and creeped John out as he slowly made his way upwards, praying that the demon wasn't lurking in the shadows._

_"Eve?" John called again, louder this time, in hope that the brunette would hear him. With a shiver, John realised that he was also giving his position away, standing at the top of the stairs, vulnerable and blind, was like Christmas for a serial killer._

_Shaking the thought out of his head, John strode towards Eve's room._

_"Eve?" John shouted, upon seeing the fallen mirror. A rusted nail stood erect from Eve's en suite bathroom door, almost telling John to stop and go back._

_Letting out a shaky sigh, John pushed the en suite door open, knife drawn just in case the killer was waiting for a second victim of the night._

_"Eve...? Oh My-!" John screamed, turning left to throw up into the toilet. There was Eve's shrivelled, lifeless body, her head dunked in the rosy-red water, her neck at an inhuman angle, as she just lay there, motionless._

_John up-chucked his stomach contents until he no longer could, and just gaped in horror at Eve's body. The bastard had drowned her, and John had not reacted in time to save her life._

_Feeling that it was his obligation, John reached out and pulled Eve's head out of the water. The paleness and cold-feel that posessed Eve's body causing bile to rie up John's throat._

_Holding his dead friend by the neck, John gently placed Eve's head on the floor before sitting, knees to his chest, tears permeating his eyelids. Letting out a loud sob, John put his head in his hands, why did he not warn Eve earlier?_

_Maybe if he had warned her, this all could have been prevented..._

"John?" A familiar voice called out, causing John to jump up, wiping at his eyes as Alicia poked her head around the bathroom door, followed by Evan and then Cody.

"Oh My God!" Cody screamed, staring at Eve, then to the bloody, red water and back again. It is needless to say that Cody's reaction was the same as John's.

John looked over at Eve's inanimate body. Then, upon hearing a bump behind him, turned to see Alicia out cold on the floor, right beside some of the bloody water that had been spilt earlier. John felt his brain imagining the scene and, as he felt the vomit building up again, told everyone to get out.

As soon as they were back in Eve's room, John heard faint sirens. Who the fuck had called the police?

"FUCK! Okay, you two, take Alicia and get as far away from here as you can. Go to Ted's mansion and see if he's alright, call Randy and get him to meet you there. I'll distract them" John said, his face set in guilt and anger; the killer had set him up and he'd fallen for it, hook, line, and sinker.

"GO!" John shouted, pushing at his two friends, who didn't want to leave their friend to take the blame alone.

"If there's any chance that they'll believe us, it'll be only one of us, otherwise it'll look like some ritualistic cult sacrifice" John said, trying to convince his friends to leave as soon as they could, as the sirens' increased in volume.

Reluctantly, Evan and Cody each wrapped an arm around Alicia, and, before sending apologetic looks to John, and being enveloped by the shadows.

Alone again, John perched himself on Eve's bed, awaiting the police and his punishment, that he truly thought he deserved...


	5. Chapter 5

_Masquerade Games_

**A/N:**

**Summary: A group of friends decide to investigate a bunch of similar murders in their small town. Only when they start receiving weird tokens and messages from the elusive masked serial killer responsible for these killings do they realise how much danger they have put themelves in. **

**This includes John Cena, Evan Bourne, Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase, Randy Orton, Eve Torres, Alicia Fox and Randy Orton. Not all of them are the 'main cast' because this is an edited and more creative version of my school media project, but they are all involved in some way. None of them are the killer though. *Evil Laugh* There's no church in the wild mothafuckas. **

_Italics are song lyrics and flashbacks. Maybe even dreams, not sure yet. _

******So, I really appreciate the reviews people have given and the music has a purpose, there's a reason I chose Odd Future music as John's music, and I hope you guys work it out after a few chapters. Anyways, please keep the reviews coming, it would make me happy because I really enjoy writing this story :D**

******Chapter Five**

John sat there as he hard the sirens coming closer and closer. He knew he probably should have ran but if he could save the rest of them from being punished, then this would all be worthwhile.

Closing his eyes, John waited in silence as he heard police enter the house downstairs and then bound up the stairs. Doubtful thoughts clouded John's mind as the policemen charged the last stretch from the landing to Eve's bedroom.

"Freeze!" An aged and plump policeman shouted at him. John raised his hands in surrender and stood there, without word, as the police searched the room and the bathroom that it led to.

Noticing the mirror smashed on the floor, the policeman's eyes slowly looked down to it, and then up again, obviously not wanting to see beyond that door. John let out a breath, conflicted between staying put and running off.

"Brady?" Another voice called out, stepping into the light of the room from the landing. This man was younger and African-American, but still a fair bit older than John. "Where you the one who called the police?" He asked. John shook his head, knowing full well who had set him up but not their identity.

"Fuck. Phillips, call an ambulance!" Shouted Brady from the en suite bathroom, obviously taking in the sight of Eve's limp, lifeless body before the blood-tinted bath water.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, an attorney will be provided at no expense to you. You have the right to not answer questions at any time and request an attorney be present before any questioning continues. Do you understand these rights?" The black police officer, Phillips, said. John nodded in response and the rest was a blur. His memory faded in and out, showing glimpses of Eve's front garden, the inside of the cop car and the look on Mrs. Torres' face when the parents of the deceased returned home from their dinner.

By the time his consciousness fully came around, John was in a cell, in the local police station...

* * *

"God, I hope he's okay!" Evan panted as the trio finally stopped running, contained by somebody's garden. They had no idea where they were, or if John was safe, and they were exhausted from the running. They had ran from the back of Eve's house through a little avenue, a few alleyways and then jumped a few fences, trying to avoid the sirens.

"I'm not sure if he will be" Cody muttered, messing with his hair. It was a habit Cody did whenever he was scared or worried.

"What do you mean, Cody?" Alicia asked, also worried about John. They were going to head to Ted's after this, hopefully Evan's car wouldn't be towed, and if it was they'd try and get it back in the morning.

"Well, he probably left finger prints all over the place, and he touched the body" Cody murmured, the implications of his words hitting him with great force.

"You mean...John's going to jail?" Evan asked, overwhelmed by the fact that he might not see his crush and best friend ever again.

Nobody answered. The three friends remained silent as they thought of Eve, John and how they were going to deal with this in the coming days. Another thought sprang up in all of their minds, but they instantly tried to distract themseles from it. It was only when Cody uttered this question that the danger they were really in became real to them.

"Guys...Who's next?"

* * *

Everything seemed bleak and grey around John. It was as if he was dying or something, becuase everything was set in monochrome.

He had counted the bars on the cell eight times already, counting 13 all eight times and each time feeling as disinterested as the first. There was also nobody in the cell with him, something that John was conflicted about, should he be thankful or not because he could use company, but then the people in prison are usually nut jobs who rape young victims and get away with it.

The thought sent a visible shudder down John's spine before he sat back down on the unsturdy, uncomfortable old bench which was the only thing in the cell besides a toilet, which seemed to have not been cleaned for a few weeks.

"Mr. Cena, your lawyer is here. We have to ask you a few questions about the murder today. Would you like your one phone call before we head in?" The policeman asked, not Phillips or Brady from earlier, but a younger, more physically attractive man. John watched as the man's hips swayed and his ass moved up and down with his step as he walked over to the other side of the room and grabbed the keys.

"Mr. Cena?" The policeman asked again, wanting an answer to his question. John's eyes rose from his waistline to his face, seeing a glimpse of empathy in the older man's eyes.

"No, sir. Can I make it later if I need to?" John asked politely, trying and failing to produce a smile. The man nodded before unlocking the cell door and waiting for John to exit the cell. John walked past the policeman, still seeing the world inside the station as bleak and depressing, and followed the man as soon as his cell was shut.

They walked through a short hallway and turned into the second room on the right. The policeman who had walked him here gave John a pitiful smile before walking back to his desk, leaving John with Brady and Phillips from earlier.

"So, Mr. Cena. You are a straight A student. What happened tonight?" Brady asked. John had a sudden thought that he liked Phillips more than Brady before acknowledging the men with a look.

"I got left a note by somebody. It kind of implied that something was going to happen to Eve..." John trailed off, contemplating telling them about the masked man, but deciding against it as it sounded crazy.

"So you knew her then?" Brady asked again, he had this aura about him that was pure grumpiness.

"She's a friend of a friend. I had a long talk with her earlier and we kind of bonded and then I left her house, she was fine. I thought I saw something upstairs in her house...but I thought I was just imagining things at the time" John explained, feeling guilty and stupid that he hadn't told Eve or her parents that there might be somebody else in the house. _A Killer. _And it was all his fault.

"Uh-huh. What did you see?" Phillips spoke up, his voice gentle and calm, clearly the nicer and more relaxed man of the pairing.

"A face I think, I'm not sure. I only saw it for a second and it was only a glance back at her house, it could have just been light from outside the room" _But it wasn't. _

"Okay. So what else happened tonight?" Phillips asked, Brady taking a backseat for now. Maybe the had a pattern.

"I drove from my house to Eve's and there was only a light on. I texted a friend, telling him that Eve was in trouble and went inside. The mirror was smashed and her room the only one with a light on, so I was shocked that I didn't get jumped in the dark, but when I got there...she was dead" John said, his eyes cloudy with unshed tears and his face a grimace as he thought back to how he found Eve.

"Her head was in the water and her body was limp..._lifeless_. And I moved it out of the water because I didn't want to see her like that" John continued, his eyes glossed over as he was trapped in the nightmare of a memory.

"Okay John, you can go back to the cell for now. Do you want to make a call now?" Phillips said, his voice laced with uncertainty as he motioned for John to stand up. Phillips and Brady exchanged a look before Phillips led John out of the room and back to his cell.

When they arrived at John's cell, Phillips let him in and shut it behind him, locking it with the key the other officer had used earlier. John looked up at him and Phillips gave him a sympathetic look before looking off. John wasn't 100 percent sure, but he got one message from that look:

_"I know you're innocent, son". _

And that gave John hope.


	6. Chapter 6

_Masquerade Games_

**A/N:**

**Summary: A group of friends decide to investigate a bunch of similar murders in their small town. Only when they start receiving weird tokens and messages from the elusive masked serial killer responsible for these killings do they realise how much danger they have put themelves in. **

**This includes John Cena, Evan Bourne, Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase, Randy Orton, Eve Torres, Alicia Fox and Randy Orton. Not all of them are the 'main cast' because this is an edited and more creative version of my school media project, but they are all involved in some way. None of them are the killer though. *Evil Laugh* There's no church in the wild mothafuckas. **

_Italics are song lyrics and flashbacks. Maybe even dreams, not sure yet. _

******So, I really appreciate the reviews people have given and the music has a purpose, there's a reason I chose Odd Future music as John's music, and I hope you guys work it out after a few chapters. Anyways, please keep the reviews coming, it would make me happy because I really enjoy writing this story :D**

******Chapter Six**

"John's in jail?" Ted exclaimed, shocked to the core as the trio of shivering friends stood at his door. They had only just arrived but were absolutely soaked in rain, which had only started falling ten minutes ago, they must have ran straight from Eve's house.

"Stay here whilst I get some towels and spare clothes" Ted said to them before bounding up the stair sin search of the required items. He emerged no more than five minutes later, tossing a body towel to each person with a bag in his hand, supposedly full of clothes.

"You could have been killed!" Ted scolded, a million 'what-if's' going through his head, what if Cody had been killed? Or Evan? Or Alicia? "How could you even go in there when you knew Eve would be dead?" He demanded, the shock still had not settled in yet, but he was angry that they'd been so thoughtless as to go into a house that a killer had killed their friend in less than an hour prior.

"W-we'r-re s-sorry Teddy" Cody tried to say through chattering teeth, they were all shivering and their teeth couldn't stay still. If he wasn't angry about their carelessness and concerned about john being in prison, he would be extremely worried about their health. But he was too angry, so he led them through the house to a empty-looknig room with a fireplace in it.

"Th-thanks Ted" Evan said, still shaking. Ted gave them all a soft smile before heading off in the direction of the kitchen to find some form of hot drink to warm their bodies up.

Flicking on the light for the kitchen, Ted let out a scream as he saw a puddle of blood leading from a mask on the counter and leaking all the way down to the floor.

"Teddy?" Cody shouted from the fireplace room, followed by the sound of on-rushing footsteps. Ted just stood there, scared to even approach the blood around the mask.

"T-Teddy, I thought s-something had happened!" Cody said as the trio stopped short of Ted in the door frame. He was pointing at the mask, covering his mouth so that he didn't shout before he fell backwards and hit the floor with a sickening thud.

"Teddy!" Cody screamed, dropping to his knees next to his boyfriend who was out cold, the oter two just looked on in shock, eyes slowly darting back and forth between Ted and the mask. They eventually came to their senses and dropped down next to Cody, placing a reassuring hand each on his shoulder as Cody began to shake from silent tears. Evan slowly put Ted in position so that he couldn't swallow his tongue and the trio slowly turned towards the mask.

Alicia slowly stepped foward, curiousity getting the best of her as she slowly walked towards the mask with shaky legs, almost buckling with each step.

She finally reached the mask, being careful to avoid the blood on the floor and, with a shaky breath, lifted the mask up off of the counter. What happened next would haunt their nightmares forever.

The first thing Alicia saw was a note which Alicia could deal with, surprisingly, without screaming. She quickly scanned the note, it read: _Who's next? The finger shall point you in the right direction. _

Alicia quickly stared at the finger, noting that it pointed towards the window, and, in a split-second, turned as lightening struck outside, lighting up the outside of the house. In that second, all three of them were looking at the window, and they would deny it to save their sanity, but what they saw was a white mask, (only the mask), and then the lightening struck again, and the mask was gone.

Alicia let out a shrill shriek, jumping away from the window and into a corner behind her as the other two just stayed where they were, shaking with fright as a million disturbing thougt plagued their minds. Cody curled up, his legs up to his chest and began to mutter to himself, tears pouring from his eyes at the seemingly 'phantom' killer who would be torturing them for what would be the rest of their short lives.

Evan fell back against the door frame, completely lost as to why this was happening to his group of friends at the hands of a merciless masked man who was slowly making them lose their minds. At that moment, none of them believed they would survive and, for more than one of them, this was true...

* * *

"Listen son, you're going to be in there all night until we are finished analysing the crime scene, but I don't think you have it in you to kill. I checked your records, A's and B's in school, no recorded family problems or emotional outbursts. Just explain what happened son" It was Officer Phillips who seemed very much on John's side in the case. John would explain it to the police officer, but he knew it sounded bizarre. It was bizarre.

"You wouldn't believe me if i told you" John muttered bluntly. He just wanted to shake the man until he was proven innocent.

"Try me" Was Phillips' response, fixing John with the same look he had used only a few seconds ago. John contemplated the pro's and con's of telling Officer Phillips the whole story, and eventually decided he needed the company.

"Well, it all began with the first student killing" John said, slowly counting to four in his mind, a cold shiver ran down his spine as a fifth face was added to that, Eve's.

"The first killing was Melina Perez, then it was Darren Young. The third was Beth Phoenix, and the fourth was found in the early hours of the morning; Celeste Bonin" _Kaitlyn. _John continued with his explanation, Officer Phillips paying him his utmost attention, and nodding for him to continue.

"Well, this morning, as the news of Celeste's death spread, we met up at the beginning of school. Me, Evan, Alicia, Ted, Cody and, eventually, Randy. Cody was the most shaken by Celeste's death - as he had actually known her very well - but when Randy came up to us he said we should search the forest to try and tay one step ahead of the killer, it was a good idea but I figured he had some ulterior motive behind it because this was Randy, he always has one" John paused, inahling a breath before catching Officer Phillips' look and explaining.

"Me and Randy dated on-and-off for a while but I broke it off last month. I didn't want to follow one of his ideas" He added, gaining a nod from Officer Phillips.

"Continue, to what happened in the forest".

"Well, we met Eve on the way, she got a lift with Barbie Blank and we decided we would investigate the forest because Kaitlyn - Celeste - was found there according to Randy. We didn't find anything but a few bones from an animal that Eve stepped on. Eve was the victim earlier.

"We headed to mine after that; me, Evan, Alicia and Eve. We chilled out and had a good time before Evan and Alicia headed home. After that I walked Eve home and we bonded a fair bit, she was such a nice girl despite her status as a cheerleader and popular girl" A frown marred John's features momentarily as he thought of how he and Eve had connected earlier. "I walked her home and...and, as I turned to leave, I saw this white blur move on the second floor window, I thought it was nothing".

John stayed quiet for a while, clearly distraught and guilt-ridden because he could have saved Eve from death's grasp if he hadn't written the blur off. Phillips placed a comforting hand on John's shoulder through the prison cell's bars and patiently waited for John to continue.

"Sorry. After that I was listening to a song in my room, it's called She. The chorus is a guy singing to a girl, it goes: 'Blinds wide open, so he can, see you in the dark when your sleeping, naked body fresh out the shower, you touch yourself after hours, ain't no man allowed in your bedroom, you're sleeping alone in bed, but check your window, he's at your window'".

"There was lightening, so it went off and I saw the blur again...but it wasn't a blur! It was the killer, he left me a note with the chorus' lyrics on it and I instantly knew he was after Eve. I ran out of my house and to hers. It was dark and nobody was around, but like I said...we connected. And I wasn't going to wait around and let her die, so I see this reflection of the light around the side of the house, it turns out that the killer broke in. So I opened the door, and I grabbed a weapon before heading upstairs, and I foind her.

"She was so limp, head slumped in a bath of her own blood. Then the rest is a blur, before being here. She was so...lifeless. I...I could have saved her!" John stated, tears falling freely from his eyes and hitting the floor, barely leaving a mark. Phillips just placed a hand on his shoulder again; he couldn't do anything else. But he knew the boy wasn't capable of murder; he couldn't hold himself together properly and had no previous record of violence.

"It's okay son, it wasn't your fault at all. We'll prove you innocent by tomorrow and then you'll be free to go" Phillips said, offering John a small smile and a pat on his back before walking away from the clearly beside himself boy. What John didn't see was that Phillips slipped a recorder from his sleeve into his pocket before making his way into the interrogation room.

"Phillips. Did he open up?" Brady asked as Phillips entered the room. The other officer looked to him, before Phillips placed the recorder on the table and they all listened to what John had said. Afterwards they all shared a look, all thinking that he wasn't guilty but knowing they couldn't do anything until morning.

"He didn't do it. And from the looks of things, the killer targets his victims mentally before striking them, which we should put out there, to try and get the kids to tell people when stuff like this happens" Phillips said, Brady and the other officer nodding.

"I agree, but we can't just let him go just because we think he's innocent. What do you think, Johnson?" Brady added, turning to the third member of the night-shift cops.

Johnson shrugged before answering. "He's a nice kid and he doesn't have the mental state for murder, but we really can't do anything until he's proven innocent".

"Let's just hope that the killer doesn't strike before morning, otherwise the kids will be even more freaked. And warn the parents not to let their kids be alone for too long, as kids tend to draw into themselves when something like death happens. Let's just hope, for the sake of the kids, that the killer si done for the night..."

* * *

In another part of the city, the hooded figure stands outside a house, looking into the house, concealed by the bushes in the backyard. The boy is making some sort of junk food, he is bald with nice eyes that seem hateful and cold, but they'll be lifeless before the night ends.

"Randy, I'm going to bed!" A male voice calls from somewhere inside the house. The figure watches for the next five minutes as a light turns on upstairs and then turns off, the boy is unaware of his presence, and, with the perfect amount of cloroform he has, the hooded figure knows that this boy hall never be seen again...


End file.
